Pistachio Cookies (Italian-Style with Real Pistachios)
Updated Dec 11, 2025, Published Mar 15, 2025
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These Italian Pistachio Cookies are soft, delicately nutty, and baked to tender perfection. Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, they’re an easy yet elegant Italian treat made with real pistachios—perfect for holidays, cookie tins, or any special occasion.
Try my almond biscotti and soft amaretti cookies next!
Quick Look at This Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Servings: 18-20 cookies
- Texture: Soft and tender with lightly crisp edges (Italian-style, not chewy)
- Flavor: Nutty, buttery pistachio flavor from real ground pistachios
- Style: Traditional Italian tea cookie, not bakery-style American
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian, dairy-free, and naturally gluten-free
- Method: Mix batter, scoop and shape into balls, bake.
Why you’ll love this family favorite!
In Italy, pistachio cookies are meant to be delicate and lightly sweet, with a soft, tender texture rather than thick and chewy.
My pistachio cookies recipe will bring the warmth of an Italian bakery to your kitchen! With the ideal lightly crisp texture on the outside, while soft on the inside, and coated in just the right amount of powdered sugar.
Finely ground pistachios give them a natural green color and deep, rich pistachio flavor in every bite (no food coloring or pudding mix in this recipe!). A simple, elegant treat that melts in your mouth, just like Nonna used to make!
While they shine on festive cookie trays, they’re just as perfect with an afternoon espresso or a late-night treat. If you love pistachio dessert recipes, you’ll also love my Italian pistachio cream, pistachio cream crumb cake, and pistachio gelato.
Made With Amore,
“Absolutely easy to make and delicious.”
– Eyvan
Simple Ingredients
Unlike many American pistachio cookie recipes that rely on pudding mix or artificial flavoring, these Italian-style pistachio cookies use finely ground pistachios for their flavor and color. The ingredient list is simple and intentional, letting the natural nuttiness of the pistachios shine through.
- Almond Flour: Provides a soft, slightly chewy texture with a mild nuttiness. It also keeps these cookies naturally gluten-free. Avoid using almond meal, which is coarser and includes almond skins, giving a denser texture. Finely ground almond flour gives the best results for this pistachio cookie recipe!
- Powdered Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a light, crisp exterior. Using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar makes these cookies lighter.
- Whole Pistachios: Choose raw or lightly roasted, unsalted pistachios for the cleanest flavor. Lower-quality or heavily roasted nuts can taste bitter and dull the delicate sweetness of the cookies. If you’re looking for a savory way to cook with pistachios, try this pistachio pesto with some homemade pappardelle pasta. They’re also great in a salad like this, apple and pistachio salad.
- Vanilla Extract and Lemon Zest: The vanilla adds warmth and depth to the flavor, while the lemon zest adds a bit of citrus brightness that complements the natural flavor of the pistachios. You can also use almond extract instead of vanilla for a more nutty flavor.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Almond Flour Swap: Use finely ground hazelnut flour for a deeper, toasty flavor.
- Citrus Twist: Swap lemon for orange zest. It gives the cookies a warmer, slightly sweeter note, like in my orange olive oil cake.
- Extra Crunch: Fold in finely chopped pistachios for added texture. Add these at the end of mixing the cookie dough.
- Chocolate Drizzle: Dip or drizzle with dark chocolate for a decadent touch, similar to my Italian butter cookies.
- Flavor Boost: Add a dash of almond or pistachio extract for extra nuttiness.
How to Make Pistachio Cookies
Here are the step-by-step photo instructions for this easy cookie recipe. No fancy techniques are required—just mix, chill, shape, and bake! See the recipe card for the printable recipe. To get started, preheat your oven to 325° F and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a food processor to grind the pistachios. The ground pistachios should resemble pistachio flour, not pistachio paste. Add the other dry ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine them.
- Add the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract to a large bowl.
- Mix the egg mixture with handheld beaters until light and pale yellow.
- Add the dry and wet ingredients together and mix with a rubber spatula.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure out a tablespoon of cookie dough. The scoop is the perfect way to ensure your cookies are all the same size.
- Roll in your hands to shape the cookie dough into a crescent shape or a round ball.
- Roll the cookie dough ball in powdered sugar to coat the outside.
- Place each cookie dough ball on the prepared baking sheet. Place a single pistachio on top if you want. Bake until lightly golden on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
This little cookie has a soft center and is bursting with fresh pistachio flavor. It is a traditional Italian cookie that the whole family will love. Love pistachios? You’ve got to try my pistachio tiramisu recipe next!
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tips
- Grind, Don’t Paste: Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until finely ground, stopping as soon as they resemble flour. Over-processing will release the oils and turn them into a paste.
- Double Sugar Coating: Roll the cookies in powdered sugar before baking to create a delicate, crackled crust. Once cooled, dust again for a classic Italian bakery finish.
- Bake Low and Slow: A lower oven temperature (325°F / 160°C) keeps the centers soft while lightly crisping the edges. Pull them from the oven as soon as they’re set—overbaking dries them out.
- Mix Just Until Combined: Once the dough comes together, stop mixing. Overworking the dough can make the cookies dense instead of soft and tender.
- Store Properly: Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze them in a sealed container for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature before serving.
Italian Pistachio Cookie Recipe FAQ’s
I recommend using unsalted, raw pistachios for the best flavor and texture. If you only have salted pistachios, reduce the added salt in the recipe to avoid an overly salty cookie.
If the dough feels too sticky, add a little more almond flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it’s easier to handle. If it’s too dry or crumbly, mix in a little beaten egg white or a touch of melted butter until it comes together smoothly.
Italian pistachio cookies can turn out dry and crumbly if the pistachios are over-processed, the dough is overworked, or the cookies are baked too long. Blending pistachios past a fine grind releases their oils and turns them into a paste, which throws off the moisture balance of the dough. Adding even a small amount of extra flour or ground pistachio can also make the dough too dry, especially if ingredients are packed when measuring. Because these cookies are meant to be delicate, overmixing can make them firm instead of tender, and overbaking dries them out. They also need a few minutes to set as they cool, so handling them too soon can make them seem crumbly even when they’re baked correctly.
Yes, you can substitute pistachio flour for the ground pistachios in this recipe. However, it is expensive. Also, for the best texture and balance, I recommend using a mix of pistachio flour and almond flour to keep the cookies soft and light. Too much pistachio flour can make them dense!
Absolutely! Shape and freeze unbaked cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray. Once frozen, transfer them to a storage container. You can bake them straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these Italian pistachio cookies with espresso, cappuccino, or a simple cup of tea for an easy afternoon treat. Their delicate texture also makes them perfect for cookie tins, where they pair beautifully with chocolate crinkle cookies, classic Italian Christmas cookies, cucidati (Italian fig cookies), and crisp pizzelle cookies for a traditional Italian assortment.
These cookies are especially popular for holidays like Christmas and Easter, but they’re just as lovely for weddings, showers, and special celebrations, thanks to their elegant look and naturally nutty flavor.
If you’re building out a full Italian dessert spread, try these next: Italian pear cake, Italian ricotta cake, or a light and fragrant lemon olive oil cake. Each one is a wonderful complement to these pistachio cookies.
More Italian Cookie Recipes
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Italian Pistachio Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ cup pistachios, shelled, unroasted, unsalted
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- powdered sugar , for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchement paper and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grind the pistachios – Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse until flour texture forms, but not into pistachio paste the ground. Add to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix dry ingredients – add the almond flour and salt to the ground pistachios. Mix until well combined.
- Whisk eggs and sugar – In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients- fold in the egg and sugar mixture to the pistachio almond flour mixture mixing until a soft and slightly sticky dough forms.
- Shape the cookies – Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to measure portions of dough (about a heaping tablespoon). Shape the dough into balls (or a cresent shape for a traditional Italian look) and roll in the powdered sugar. Optional: place one pistachio on top of each cookie ball before baking.
- Place the dough balls on prepared baking sheet at least one inch apart.
- Bake – Preheat the oven to 325°F and bake for 15–18 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden on the edges.
- Cool and enjoy – Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- Grind, Don’t Paste: Pulse pistachios just until finely ground and flour-like. Stop early—over-processing releases oils and turns them into a paste.
- Double Sugar Coating: Roll the dough in powdered sugar before baking for a delicate, crackled crust. Dust again after cooling for a classic Italian bakery finish.
- Bake Low and Slow: A lower oven temperature (325°F / 160°C) keeps the centers soft with lightly crisp edges. Remove the cookies as soon as they’re set to avoid drying them out.
- Mix Just Until Combined: Once the dough comes together, stop mixing. Overworking the dough can make these delicate cookies dense instead of tender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Are these cookies Gluten Free?
Thank you.
Yes, they are! You’ll also love my naturally gluten free almond cake and cookies. Enjoy!
Amazing! Could not imagine what they would taste like, but when my husband and I tried them OMG! This is a keeper ! Canโt wait to make my family and friends taste them! Thanks
So happy you love them! They are a favorite!
what if you only have paste? can you still make the cookies?
Yes, that should work you may want to thin it out if it is a little too thick.
Do you have this recipe in grams instead of cup measurements. I find that it is more precise when ingredients are weighed and results are always the same. Thank you I will definitely try making these cookies. They look delicious
Hi! Yes, you can switch the conversions right in the recipe card! Enjoy.
Thank you Elena for your response however I donโt find the conversion in the recipe card. Can you please explain this to me
You are right! After switching the recipe card this was removed because the measurements are inaccurate unless entered by manually. I will start adding grams for baking as I prefer this as well! I hope you can still try the recipe!
absolutely easy to make and delicious.
Happy you loved them!
you mentioned adding a bit of baking powder, but don’t see any in the ingredients list. How much do you recommend? My cookies are cooling (without baking powder)
Can’t wait to try them
I didn’t see the bp comment until the cookies were in the oven
No baking powder in this recipe! I did test it with and it worked best without! I edited that part in the recipe list on the blog post! Thanks! I edited that in the recipe card, but forgot in the draft. Thanks!
You will love these chewy pistachio cookies!